Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



J. H. MERRILL.

Breach-Loading Fire-Atm.

Patented J uly v 20, l 858 a useful one.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAs. I-I. MERRILL, oE BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20,954, dated July 20,1858.

To all whom it m y concern.:

Be it known that J AMEs H. MERRILL, of the eity and county of Baltimore,and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Breechlloading Guns for Firing Cartridges; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure lrepresents a portion of the gun in question. Fig. 2 represents alongitudinal section through the same.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate gures,denote like parts of the gun in both of them.

My invention consists in converting what is known as the Jenks Gun77from aloose powder and ball breech loader to a cartridge breech-loader,by which means a gun now almost useless can, at a very light expense, bemade a useful and valuable arm.

In the use of breech-loading guns, cartridges are absolutelyindispensable to make the arm The Jenks Grun,77 as it is termed, hasmany good properties in it; but, owing to its being loaded by loosepowder and ball, many thousands of them in the hands of the UnitedStates and individuals are of comparatively little value. Now, I takethe Jenks gun as I iind it, and without reconstructing the gungenerally, but simply altering` one of its parts, I convert it, at avery slight expense, into a breech cartridge-loader. To construct anentire new gun capable of receiving a cartridge at the breech might notinvolve inven. tion, for the mechanic, knowing what he is about to make,provides beforehand for it; but to take a gun constructed for loosepowder and ball loading and so adapt its parts without an entire changeof them as to be capable of receiving a cartridge horizontally into itsbore, instead of a loose charge at right angles to the bore, doesinvolve much study, invention, and a high degree of skill, as well asInaking valuable and serviceable vto the Government and to individuals alire-arm laid aside (at least by the Government) as inapplicable to thepresent Wants and conditions of the army service.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the invention, Iwill proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

In the rst place I `plug up the hole through which the ch arge isinserted in the Jenks gun, and let the top a of the plug project' abovethe barrel B sufficiently far toform a catch for the lever A when itcomes down on the barrel, and to make the point of the lever A of properform to drop over the plug a, I bra-Ze on a piece, b, which admits of acountersink, c, on the under side of said point and a groove on its top,in range with the sights of the gun.

Secondly, I cut away the part d behind the barrel and lay a piece ofcurved metal below the side pieces heretofore used. This opens out apart of the gun heretofore closed up.

Thirdly, I cut away the shoulder e where the toggle-lever c is p ivotedto the main lever A, which allows both levers, as well as the piston D,to come farther back, and thus leaves more room between the fore part ofthe pistonand the rear of the barrel 5 but in cutting awaythe partbehind the rear of the barrel I take away the part which was a guide forthe piston, to prevent it from twisting or jam ming, and mustconsequently restore something to take its place. This I effect asfollows: On the toggle-lever C, I cut a groove, f, into which a stud orpin, t', from the breechframe passes, and which pin, as the piston isrun up toward the barrel, tends to draw down the toggle-lever and keepit more in line with the piston D. The piston, by means of this guidingcontrivance, moves perfectly free and easy.

The lever A may have to be widened at the part which covers-the openingd, so as to protect said opening, which may be done by welding on sidepieces or drawing down the lever. A Jenks gun thus altered is capable ofbeing loaded from the rear by a cartridge, instead of with loose powderand ball through an opening perpendicular to the bore of the gun. Thereare no parts of the Jenks gun which may be said to be removed andreplaced by others, the gun having within itself the Y elements forconverting itinto a cartridge-gun by alterations of its parts. Nor isthere much added toit. The whole change can be readily and cheaply made,and a gun which is laid aside in the army, owing to the manner ofloading it, may be made available as a cartridge-loader, and thus beprofitably used.

I make no claim to the parts of this gun when they are arranged as inthe Jenks gun. My invention may be said mainly to consist in convertingthe Jenks gun (after it has been made and without reorganizing itsparts) from a loose powder and ball loader to a cartridgeloader, andthus make useful and valuable several thousand stands of arms that arenow laid aside as not available for the service; but I should deem a newgun constructed as I have described and shown, whether made anew inwhole or in part, as involving my invention, so long as the parts werearranged as I have represented them.

Having thus fully described the nature and object of my invention, whatI claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Converting what is known as the Jenks Carbine77 from a loose powder andball loader to a cartridge-loaderviz., by plugging up the verticalopening through which that gun was loaded ,cutting away in rear of thebarrel so as to load at the rear end of the bore, and allowing thelever, toggle, and piston togcome far enough back to admit a cartridgeto be dropped in behind the bore and then run up into the chamber, witha groove and pin to guide the toggle and piston, as herein set forth.

JAMES H. MERRILL.

Witnesses:

THos. H.y UPPERMAN, E. COHEN.

